


The Starlight Path

by 8the_cat_chemist_doctor8



Series: I'm Ahsoka Tano's bitch so take some gay space shenanigans [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Idealism, Jedi Temple (Star Wars), M/M, Mandalorian Jedi (Star Wars), Mandalorian-Jedi Wars, Romeo & Juliet esque but add a war, bc like this war would've been when they were young, things just start happening and keep happening, while I love canon we are throwing it out the window for romance reasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:48:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29421840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8the_cat_chemist_doctor8/pseuds/8the_cat_chemist_doctor8
Summary: Anakin and Padme were sick of fighting wars. In the middle of the Clone Wars- the Mandalorians decided to wage a millennia old grudge inspired war against the Jedi and they were called to battle there- leaving the war front of the clone wars exposed.Padme, with her two twin children in tow, is doing her best- what with Obi Wan ravaged by worry about Satine that everyone pretends isn't happening, Ahsoka slowly developing anxiety in by the constant wars and stress.When Luke grew up with his sister during this war, it wasn't pretty. He had to live with the fact people like the Mandalorians wanted to kill him purely because he was a fully fledged Jedi padawan. That he was considered unnatural to them.So what happens when Luke gets saved by a Mandalorian on the battlefield? Who is none other than Din Djarin- heir to the throne of the Manda'lor ?
Relationships: Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda & Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, The Armorer (The Mandalorian TV) & Din Djarin
Series: I'm Ahsoka Tano's bitch so take some gay space shenanigans [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108898
Comments: 67
Kudos: 206





	1. duel of fates

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [setting suns](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29158164) by [snapdragonpop007](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snapdragonpop007/pseuds/snapdragonpop007). 



> inspired by this Tumblr post: https://luckyjak.tumblr.com/post/150120035500/if-luke-and-leia-were-born-during-the-clone-wars
> 
> and this fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22274212  
> (I'm not putting in the 'inspired by' category bc idk if they'll appreciate a dinluke fic or not bc this fic is gen) 
> 
> the fic in the inspired by category I only read the first chapter of (sorry) but I was inspired by it too ! I want to give credit where it is due 
> 
> this is kind of a continuation of the scene I posted (in this series) called 'but I carry it in my pocket, it keeps me safe' where it's jedi/mando wars dinluke themed 
> 
> and mostly just my brain being unable to shut up at 3am when I'm feeling p o e t i c

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware I am not writing for my bigger dinluke crackfic but it's valentines day and I am alone so fuck it I'm going to write romantic beginnings bc everyone else seems to be having one

The battle is loud, fierce and violent. 

There is nothing poetic about the way the Mandalorians try their damn best to tear the Jedi down limb from limb, the disgust and hatred clear in the way they grunt and growl. The shaky anger of their punches ringing loud and clear like an alarm bell in the crowded battlefield. 

Luke had seen this blind hatred towards him before in his youth. It was all he knew to expect from Mandalorians. It never failed to terrify him to his core, that people hated him so much just for being a Jedi, and he always had to meditate his way back to serenity. Obi Wan, his master, and Yoda had both warned him that this fear was the breeding ground to future anger. The path that would lead to atrocities committed in the name of misunderstanding. And eventually, the dark side. 

Which is why he took turns on the battlefield, the Jedi order understanding that allowing this fear of Luke's to grow would be unwise, they decided that his padawan training was best to take place off of the battlefield, for the most part.

Alternatively, he had spent most of his youngling training days in the comforting coolness and tranquility of the Jedi library in the temple on Corosaunt. Master Yoda, Windu and Nu his only true connection to the war on Mandalore while he trained with his sister and the other younglings. The peace was beautiful, but tense. The unnatural tautness of it all had never grated on his nerves until he had become old enough to realise that it should. To see the peace was strained under the weight of the casualty and loss of the war. At times he almost preferred the chaos of when he watched his mother and father wade into the battlefield as a child, a republic trooper turning his eyes away as the fighting started. 

Luke had had his fair share of the temple texts during his time as a padawan on Mandalore- had devoured them in his haste to become a Jedi to help his mother, father and sister on the battlefield. 

But Yoda had forced him to be patient in his training. Reminding him that no one should rush to the battlefield, and that he needed to study more of the force before someone of his power level was allowed access to all that suffering and pain. 

So Luke was essentially a glorified battlefield repair boy during his padawanship. He'd repair droids, ships and other machinery when absolutely necessary. It could be a bit boring, considering people just abandoned machinery when it failed them mid-battle in order to survive, but Luke still had developed battlefield experience this way. Obi Wan said that the exposure was important so he could realise there were ways to control his fear through competence. 

He could see his father and master fighting at the front line, and doing quite flawlessly. His sister, Leia, and her master Ahsoka were flanking them, doing a spectacular job at keeping the Jedi forces together. So far, they were pushing the Mandalorians back. 

Luke sighed, surveying the field again with his electrobinoculars to ensure no one needed his help. If he was honest, he was restless at this point- he knew he could help turn the tide of the battle if he could just _fight_ , but the Jedi Order did not think he was ready emotionally yet. Sometimes he wondered if just jumping in by himself would expedite that growth process, but Yoda's words came back to him;

_Battle... Look forward to, do not, Young Naberrie. Bloodlust for a Jedi, a good trait, it is not._

So instead he played repair boy, Obi Wan allowing him to tag along on the battlefield when he saw fit. Which was starting to be a lot more often, and Luke was glad for that. It showed he was making progress. 

Wait- 

Luke saw something that paused his musings. 

... _There_.

Luke jumped up from his perch in the barracks. In the middle of the crush of Jedi and Mandalorians- a Jedi in need of their speeder fixed while they battled a Mandalorian who had knocked them off. 

Checking his lightsaber was still hidden in his boot, Luke picked up his toolkit and rushed into the throng of the battle. 

* * *

Din had always been told the _Jetii_ were abominations. Demons. Scourge of the soil they walked on. The many colourful ways the _Jetii_ had been insulted among his creed were as diverse as the people that followed it. 

He had sat silent at the communal feast once in his youth. Had just sat and _listened_ to the conversations surrounding, and wondered what the _Jetii_ had done to be so utterly despised. So absolutely hated. 

Din had asked once, why- and it was always a garbled answer of 'they're unnatural' 'they shouldn't exist,' 'You need to see them to understand. They're killing machines.' It left him feeling like the answer was baseless.

When Din did finally see one, he didn't think any of those things. His first thought was;

_How could these people be considered demons? Sure, the sheer power of it is a little scary- but..._

He watched in awe as a golden haired one hovered some supplies to be used later from one spot to another with a practiced ease that Din couldn't help but be jealous of. 

_Weren't they more angels?_

Din was left scratching his head at the misunderstanding of it all. The bewilderment of it all followed him around his whole childhood with the Mandalorians.

But Din was young, back then. He was a foundling that didn't understand the world- he had barely understood why his parents were taken so cruelly from him. 

Din understood now, and the answer never ceased to scare him. 

For awhile, Din had been confused- if fighting skill meant so much to the Mandalorians, why fight the _Jetii_ when they were so clearly above them in skill? Why weren't they respected?

It clicked into place one day, as he saw the fighting from the military war base on Mandalore. 

The Mandalorians were scared of the _abilities_ the _Jetii_ had. The sheer power and scale of the things they could do. Din watched as a _Jeti_ crumpled someone's armour using their abilities with a wince.

That's why they kept yammering on about how they were 'unnatural' or 'abominations.' They didn't hate them for religious reasons, the Mandalorians hated them because they were scared of what the _Jetii_ could do. And rather instead of waiting for the _Jetii_ to initiate a battle and confirm their fears, they initiated one instead to assert dominance and attempt to have the upper hand. In order to control their fear of the _Jetii_ they fought the _Jetii_ \- to remind themselves that they could win a fight with these ultra powerful beings if they felt like it. It was a result of their dominating culture that their insecurities and fears were expressed this way. 

Din kept that in mind while watching the destruction on both sides- wondering whether this war was even necessary at all, or if it was just to sate the ignorant fears of a destabilised Mandalore. 

But Din didn't have access to the information about the _Jetii_ , not when the Mandalorians wanted to discourage pro- _Jetii_ sympathies. Any information he did have dehumanised them, described the atrocities of taking children from their families and forcing others to join their demonic path- and while Din was unsure what was true and what was not, the mentioning of taking children from their parents worried him. It was not the Mandalorian way to encourage the separation of family, as family was the most sacred bond a Mandalorian could be honoured with. Was his empathy for the _Jetii_ founded at all? What if he was seeing goodness where it wasn't to be found? 

His brain supplied him with an image of another _Jetii_ , _her blue and white head tendrils floating as she did in the air- her arms outstretched and uplifting as that strange force that seemed to hold her up acted on the ship she was trying to lift so the villagers within it could escape the battlefield unscathed._

The divinity and angelic goodness of their enemy never failed to surprise him. 

Regardless, he was interested to see if anyone would take the darksaber from The Armourer, who was currently in possession of it. She had named Din as the reigning heir of the traditional monarchal weapon- unwilling to take up the title herself, she had instead chosen to lead until Din was of age. This had satisfied the general Mandalorian populace for the time being, who were happy to let Bo-Katan continue to lead the assault on the _Jetii_. 

The saber that would crown Din as Manda'lor had always felt unfamiliar in his palm no matter how many times he trained with it. He didn't feel worthy to be Manda'lor, and had always been unsettled as to why the Armourer had chosen Din, of all the foundlings, as the sole heir to the title. Sometimes it felt like she knew something about him that he didn't, but he could never figure out what it was.

Something felt off about the saber as a whole as well that only contributed to his aversion to it- the saber mirrored the _Jetii_ laser swords too closely for it to be a coincidence and the connection bothered him. 

Especially with the amount of Mandalorians who expect him to use it in battle against the _Jetii_ on his coronation. Regardless of the fact everyone knew Din would probably only have the darksaber for five minutes before someone challenged him for it. It was expected of him if he made it past that stage that he would use it to lead the charge in this war to deliver a final blow. 

It made his stomach turn at the thought. It felt wrong to do that, somehow. Like trying to get a loth-wolf to fight it's owner. The bile in his throat tasted of sin- of horrible misfortunes should the darksaber be used in this war. But Din couldn't and wouldn't express this because it would be against years of tradition. For all he knew he would forfeit his right to the throne and be cast out from his family for even mentioning it. 

In any case, this was all irrelevant as he darted in and out of the days battle. Din changing from infield medic to soldier whenever he saw someone down and wounded on the battlefield. It had been a long time since he had given a damn about the 'honour of dying on the battlefield' protests of the wounded Mandalorians. He would drag them to safety regardless, because while Mandalorian, Din prioritised people's lives over the whole 'honour in a battlefield death' notion. 

People tended to be grateful to him after the fact anyway. So Din didn't let it get to him. He pushed on.

Mid-battle, he had fought his way through the _Jetii_ that were doing quite well to push them back and made it to the middle of the throng. Some soldier was shooting at a _Jetii_ whose speeder was broken where _Jetii_ warriors met Mandalorian soldiers. If Din strained his eyes, he could spot the famous General Skywalker and Kenobi slashing their way forward with their laser swords. 

While Din respected and empathised with the _Jetii_ , realising they were a victimised group of religious warriors being made to fight this war, he had to admit he was somewhat scared of those particular famous _Jetii_ generals in spite of that. 

He fought his way through the mob, doing his best to disarm and not kill, coming up on the abandoned speeder in the middle of the clash only to find-

_Is that a repair boy?_

_In the middle of a kriffing battlefield?_

Din worry and anger made itself known by shooting up in his system like he'd been injected with spice. The golden sandy haired boy was taking cover using the speeder and doing his best to hotwire the speeder so it worked again as quickly as possible. Din would know because he'd had to do that on the battlefield before himself.

He watched, fighting off the occasional _Jetii_ and confused Mandalorians who tried to engage him, as the speeder coughed to life and the boy moved to a crouch. It was becoming clear the unarmed boy wouldn't make it out of the battlefield without a fight regardless of which direction he went in, because he was boxed in by four sets of _Jetii_ and Mandalorians locked in battle with each other. 

Din wasn't sure who the boy was, but all he knew was he had to act before the boy got a limb sliced off by a stray laser sword or viroblade. He looked like an employed villager from the far side of Mandalore to him, and kriff knows there was enough of those around. 

So he swooped in, readying his beskar spear to deflect any stray weapons as he closed in on the now working speeder. 

"Hey!!" he shouted against the screeches of battle, trying to get the boy's attention. 

The shining boy gave him a questioning look, clearly confused. 

"Come with me! You need to get out of this war zone!" Din shouted, trying to be heard above the nearby explosion. 

The boy furrowed a brow, still confused. 

Din faltered. "Can you..." _Can he speak basic ?_

The boy opened his mouth soundlessly, as if about to say something, before deciding against it. He surveyed his surroundings.

"Look, you need to get out- and fast," Din tried again, moving closer so he could be heard more easily. "I'll get you out, this is no place for a villager." 

His eyes shone with something like sudden understanding, but the boy kept quiet. He nodded in what seemed like agreement. 

Din offered his open, gloved, hand to pull the boy up- which he accepted- and herded him across the battlefield, towards the Mandalorian base. 

* * *

_Well, kriff._ Luke thought. _I'm farricked._

_The moment this Mandalorian finds out I'm a Jedi I'm kriffed to all hell._

_But he was my only way out without drawing attention to myself._

Obi Wan's sage advice echoed in his head as if in response. We must accept help where it is given. Regardless of who it comes from. 

_If this is the will of the force, then so be it._ Luke accepted as he was gathered towards the dusty red clay buildings that made up the enemy base. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also the golden hair Jedi din first saw was indeed Luke
> 
> :) feel free to tell me what you thought ! I hope y'all enjoyed! More to come at some point!


	2. binary sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter summary (I wanna try doing this lmao): Luke is too old to be a foundling and yet is, Luke is (rightfully) nervous, and Din doesn't know what to do with himself or Luke 
> 
> quick note: I know Luke seems to know like 12 languages- I assure you he does not, he knows Mando'a bc I know Anakin would probably make him learn it bc he's paranoid and if he visits his uncle on Tatooine n shit he could pick up Tusken too bc he's smart
> 
> song for this: Overdrive by Conan Gray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all I'm back despite being busy as all hell because apparently stress writing is a thing I do now
> 
> I'm neglecting my other fic and my work so hard rn I feel bad but I'm what the kids call I n s p I r e d 
> 
> If y'all are waiting for updates on my other fic or have read it- please rest assured I'll be back to it soon (like, Friday) I'm just too busy to write properly for it rn - I want to end it well, and I need time to which I do not have rn to sink back into the plot of it to do the ending the justice it deserves.
> 
> I straight up procrastinated a presentation script due tomorrow for this y'all better enjoy dFSDFDF

The sounds of gunshots and laser swords reached a decrescendo as they made their way into the door of the Mandalorian military compound. When it was finally quiet, and they were both clearly out of danger, a silence from both Din and the boy enveloped them as they walked. 

_What would he do with him now?_

It was then that Din realised it was foolish to just drag the boy off the battlefield like that. For all he knew he had just saved a _Jetii_. ~~(Not that that was a bad thing necessarily, Din was well aware that he harboured pro- _Jetii_ sympathies, just that bringing one into the compound could cause big problems.)~~

Din cleared his throat, the silence finally getting to him. He awkwardly looked over to the boy, who now he could see clearly- and saw that was actually about the same age as him. 

"So, uh..." Din faltered awkwardly in basic, unsure what to say because he wasn't even sure the boy understood basic considering what happened back on the battlefield. 

The sandy haired boy looked at him almost expectantly, silent save for the bright curiosity in his eyes. Din somehow found it endearing. 

_If he truly was a villager, then all this tech would be new and fantastical to him, right?_

Somehow that was even more endearing and refreshing. Din forced himself to focus. 

"What's your name?" Din asked in basic, unsure if he would get a reply. 

The sunshine village boy didn't seem to understand- he cocked his head to the right questioningly.

Din tried again, but in Mando'a. " _Meg cuyir gar gai?_ " he asked, his voice feeling more fluid on the consonants of the sentence. 

He still didn't seem to understand, wincing slightly. 

Sandy haired looked unsure as he made a series of sounds and hand signals, before Din realised he was trying to talk to him in the language the Tusken Raiders used. 

_'Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.'_ he signed.

 _'It's alright. Are you from Tatooine?_ ' Din signed back forgivingly with a flourish. Din remembered his Tusken from back when he used Bounty Hunting as his training with the rest of the Death Watch. He had spent some time on Tatooine, and found it was useful to ask the Tuskens for help when he was there collecting bounties. His Tusken was a little rusty, though. 

_'Spent some of my childhood there with my Uncle._ ' The boy signed back, making a noise with a bright smile at the end. Din couldn't help but echo the smile under his helmet.

Din nodded, before continuing. _'Do you speak basic at all?_ ' 

The boy remained silent for a moment. 

_'What is your name?'_ he asked instead, clearly changing the subject. 

Din allowed him to- he knew that the topic would probably circle back later. He thought for a moment. 

_'It's hard to translate, but-_ ' Din paused, before speaking in basic. "Din Djarin." He continued in Tusken for the other's sake. _'It is probably best you call me "_ Djarin _", though. Mandalorian traditions can be tricky. Are you Mandalorian? Which village do you come from?_ ' 

The boy seemed to consider his answer, before answering carefully in screechy Tusken. 

_'I like your name._ ' He replied with a smile. Din warmed at it, but listened for his answer carefully. 

_'I'm a villager from Naboo. I came to support our Senator as she helps in the... magic wars._ ' The boy seemed to wince, and pause at the word 'magic,' as Din realised _Jetii_ was probably hard to translate into Tusken- the Tuskens didn't have a word for them. 

Din laughed. ' _I see._ ' 

There was a comfortable pause in the conversation. 

The golden haired boy pointed at himself, before seeming to offer "Luke."

 _'Is that your name?_ ' Din asked politely as he lead him through the hallways that led to the weapon forges.

Luke nodded.

Din smiled, despite knowing Luke couldn't see it. _'Nice to meet you, Luke.'_

 _'Same honour upon you._ ' 

There was silence only filled by the echoing of the pair of their steps as they turned corner after corner in the long hallways. 

_'So..._ ' Luke started almost shyly, getting Din's attention with the familiar squeaks of the Tusken language. _'Where are you taking me?'_

Din knew it was best to tell him to be hospitable. 

_'I'm taking you to...'_ Din struggled with the words for it for a moment. _'My... chief.'_ he hesitated, watching Luke carefully for his reaction. But Luke just nodded resignedly, as if knowing this would occur.

' _I am not sure if you should go back to your senator yet- I will have to find out what Mandalorian traditions define you as._ ' 

Luke nodded, understanding. Din was not sure if he had just worried him with this news, so he rushed to comfort him. 

_'However I believe you would be considered..._ ' Din again flailed a little useless and struggled to figure out how to translate foundling to Tusken. ' _My found one.'_ He finally tried, with a blush. 

Luke contemplated this, replying screechily. 

_'Found one? Was I ever lost?_ ' Luke asked, a smirk on his face that told Din he was joking. 

Din laughed spiritedly. ' _Mandalorian tradition... for adopting people..._ ' Din wasn't sure he had the vocabulary to fully describe it. Luke raised an eyebrow questioningly. 

_'You'll see.'_ Din comforted. 

* * *

The room Djarin eventually led him to was a hot room with a blazing fire in the centre. 

It was there that Djarin motioned for him to wait near the door as he strode into the room, calling out in Mando'a.

All Luke could say was ' _Thank the mother-farricking force Uncle Obi Wan and Master Yoda forced all those language lessons onto him as a child._ ' 

Luke had had to make a split second decision on his cover story the moment Djarin asked him about himself. His first instinct was to lean into the assumption Djarin had made about his inability to speak basic. He hoped it would cover his identity for awhile. He didn't want to get murdered in a Mandalorian military compound. 

" _Beskaryc_!" Djarin called, appearing to be looking around for someone. _Armoured_ \- his brain supplied as translation. Luke was suddenly fiercely glad his father had made him learn Mando'a in the evenings, yammering on about how 'it may save your life one day' and 'you must know your enemy.' Luke was slightly ashamed to say his father might have been right about it being able to save his life. 

" _'Lek_?" _yeah_? a female voice called back, walking into the smelting chamber they both stood in.

" _Ni ganar a wero_." _I have a problem_ Djarin asked gravely. 

" _At vaabir ti kaysh?_ " _To do with him?_ She asked, gesturing with her thumb towards Luke while wiping her ungloved hands on an oily cloth. Her gold helmet with horns on it glinted with a reflection of the blue flames nearby.

" _Elek_." _Yes_. Din confirmed, seeming very serious. 

" _tion'ad cuyir kaysh?_ " _Who is he? _She asked. Now that Luke thought about it, he could perhaps conjecture that her name was Armoured- considering that was what Djarin had called out when he got here. 

" _Ni Gaa'tayl kaysh eyaytir te kyrbej_." _I helped him escape the battlefield._ Djarin explained, glancing at Luke. " _Ni mirdir kaysh's bat te jetiise eso- a kaysh's nayc verd._ " _I think he's on the Jedi side- but he's no warrior._

Luke felt slightly affronted at being dismissed like that, but he had to remember that it was probably a good thing for his cover that he was thought of like that. 

The woman- a leader, Luke realized- looked him up and down thoughtfully, as if sizing him up. " _Ni haa'taylir_." _I see._ She said, seeming a little condescending. 

There was a moment of silence as the Armoured decided his fate. Luke tried not to seem nervous, but his heart was hammering in his chest. He could be cut down right at that moment if this woman decided he was suspicious. 

She sighed, relenting. " _Pirusti bic seems kaysh cuyir gar foundling. Kaysh looks ruug'la par solus._ " _Well it seems he is your foundling. He looks old for one._

Djarin laughed, seeming relieved. 

" _kaysh joha- naasad Ika'dyc ra mando'a._ " _his language- he can't speak basic or mando'a._ Djarin mentioned worriedly. " _shi Tusken._ " _only Tusken._

Armoured cocked her head to the side, considering this. " _jate kebi gar jorhaa'ir tusken. kaysh's gar buirkan._ " _good thing you speak Tusken. he's your responsibility._ She said with a tone of finality. Her matriarchal authority was clear with that closing remark, and Luke noted to himself to stay on good terms with her as he watched her leave.

 _'What's the judgement?_ ' Luke asked Djarin eagerly in Tusken- changing _verdict_ to _judgement_. 

_'You can stay. She judged you..._ ' Djarin paused, trying to figure out how to translate the nuances of foundling in Tusken before settling on what he said earlier. ' _A found one. You are to stay with me until you can get back to your senator_.' 

Luke feigned delight as if he hadn't understood the conversation in Mando'a. ' _Thank you.'_ He replied eagerly, grinning. 

He was surprised by the brief flash of yellow light from Djarin's force signature. Luke supposed that now they had a bond it was easier to get a read on the enigmatic Mandalorian. 

_'Can you speak basic?_ ' Djarin asked again, feeling as if he had earned Luke's trust enough to fish for an answer again. 

Luke looked a little shy at that. ' _Yes_.' He admitted in Tusken, flailing his arms a little to halt Djarin's irrtated reply. _'But... I didn't know if I could trust you, I hope you understand.'_

The Tusken sign and accompanying sound indicated a line like a rope between Djarin and Luke- where you signed the presence of the rope before tugging on it from your end. Luke thought it was oddly appropriate for the situation. 

Djarin seemed a little frustrated at the fact he had had to speak Tusken- a language he was already rusty at- for a whole hour when they could've been speaking basic. However, he seemed to understand the distrust. 

"I do." He finally said in basic. 

Luke nodded, smiling sheepishly. It seemed to say _I've been very silly- but you'll forgive me, right?_

"So... you're Senator Amidala's servant?" Djarin asked finally, leading Luke out of the room and back into the hallway maze. 

"Not her servant, no. Just a villager that volunteered." Luke replied amiably, trying to seem optimistic despite not quite feeling it. He was nervous again- he wasn't sure where he stood with Djarin after lying to him slightly. 

"I see." 

There was an awkward silence as they walked together. 

"Is she the leader?" Luke asked, trying to make conversation and find out more about the place. He wasn't sure how long he'd be here for. 

"Technically, yes." Djarin said, and Luke sensed a long-winded answer. "Essentially, our people pass our leadership role on to the next successor through an ancient blade you must earn in battle. While technically, she is the current leader- she has forfeited her role and named an heir. We're waiting for him to be old enough to wield the blade." 

"Ah." Luke nodded, somewhat understanding. The main thing he knew about Mandalorian culture is that good fighting was an important trait to cultivate. 

Djarin turned off onto a hallway with many doors, stopping at the one closest. The door slid open with a- _sshk_! 

"If I had known someone was coming, I'd've cleaned up a bit. Sorry about the mess." Djarin apologised abashedly, rushing forward to pick up something and put it away. 

Luke laughed richly. "It's fine. I wasn't expecting your daring rescue today either." 

"That is true." 

Luke watched, leaning against the wall near the door, as Djarin rushed around his room to pick things up. From what he could see, there was a single bed, a closet, a special alcove for putting armour on, and a small shelf of books and datapads. There was a small bathroom near the door with the door ajar, and Luke could see some tubes spread out on the bathroom shelf. Djarin's room was awash with loose clothes that were unclear if they were clean, stray datapads and a plate of half finished food. 

In short, as Leia would put it; it was a typical teenager's bedroom. And Luke couldn't help himself from laughing. 

Djarin gave him a strange look from where he was crouched on the floor, shoving a spear under his bed. 

"Sorry-" Luke had to stop to cover his face a little in habit as he was consumed once again by the hilarity of the situation. Whenever he pictured Mandalorians, he pictured warriors- and could never imagine a Mandalorian's bedroom this way. 

_Teenagers would always be teenagers_ , he supposed. 

"What's so funny?" Djarin asked, a little unnerved by his sudden laughter. He seemed a little embarrassed too to have a supposed _village boy from Naboo_ laugh at the state of his room.

"Sorry, just I didn't expect your room to be so endearingly normal, I suppose." 

Djarin stopped for a minute, taken aback. "Why wouldn't it be?" 

"I don't know, the first thing I think of when I think Mandalorian-" _predator, oppressor, bigoted warriors who want him dead, death-_ " I think more warrior and less teenager-y." 

Djarin grumbled something he couldn't hear, but chuckled nonetheless. 

When it had appeared he had finished cleaning, he wiped his hands on the cloth under his armour. 

"Feel free to sit and rest before dinner- I'm going to go do my chores for the night before I get fed to Krayt Dragon." Djarin sighed, his aura flashing a little with yellow laughter when he joked about the dragon. 

Luke laughed, leaning against the nearest bed post and watched him leave. When he was sure Djarin had gone, he sat cross-legged on the floor to meditate. It was the best thing he could think of the pass the time, and he was anxious and slightly terrified of his head getting put on a stake. 

Luke had inklings of a serenity he didn't feel, seeds that threatened to sprout in his chest. He just needed to access them. 

With the turmoil of his inner thoughts, he wasn't sure if he could water them and nurture them in the chaos of his emotional storm. 

But, he knew he needed to. He needed a clear head with the Mandalorians if he were to survive. While they were not quite the terrifying bigoted savages he pictured originally when he thought of them, he was intimately aware he was on enemy ground. He needed to tread lightly. 

So Luke meditated. It was something he was good at and could do to control the situation. He willed and comforted the seeds of stoicism that bloomed slowly with each steadying breath. Luke reached out with the force, reaching for the elemental energy of the room. He called upon the life force of the soil he knew was deep below him, the energy of the water that dripped from the tap in the sink nearby- _drip, drip, drip_ \- and with each drop, he sunk further and further into the comforts of the force. 

Finally, when he was attuned to the force after easing himself into the sixth sense that was his force sensitivity, he allowed himself to reach out to the force. Feeling it respond and swirl around him gently more with his body and mind than he did with his senses. 

The force was surprisingly languid today, considering the fact he knew his fellow Jedi were currently on the battlefield harnessing it again and again to twist and shape fate as they could. The force tended to be stiff and hard to mould if many were using it simultaneously, or too often. _His friends and family must be doing well on the battlefield, then, if they were using the force so sparingly._ Luke supposed. There was a few niggling questions at the back of his mind- ones about how something important must be occurring if the force was this malleable, and if this had anything to do with his Mandalorian situation- but he let them float over his head and into the void of nothingness. Luke acknowledged they were there, but didn't try to intervene or add to them.

Instead, he focused back on his breath and the currents of the force as they interacted with the soil, the water and the air. Luke almost wanted to reach out physically - to ride the currents of the force- but he understood that would be unwise on enemy territory. He called the force to him, like an Ewok goatherd called his goats back to the farm for a good night's sleep. The force surrounded him readily, and he couldn't fight the spark of joy at the responsiveness of it.

 _Perhaps this is the will of the force._ Luke's anxieties calmed. _Perhaps there was nothing to worry about- the force had his back as it always did._

By the time he felt Djarin's emotional force signature approaching the door, he had already found his grounding. Luke felt centred as he got up from the ground, stretching, to splash his face with water. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk about the word elemental energy (it was originally fengshui) bc there's no... word for it, in a way? energy doesn't really cover it and life force doesn't either ? more elemental spirit ? - the whole idea here is that my idea of the force is kind of based on the idea of fengshui from taoism. 
> 
> Fengshui is not what the West thinks it is: it's more like the force- a life energy that surrounds us and is connected with the geological centres of life- the four elements (earth, water, air, fire)  
> the version I grew up with is that you can use certain stones or symbolism or incense to control it somewhat and have the currents of it move in your favour. People sometimes have fengshui masters come to their house to see if the fengshui of the place is good or not- but the main idea is that there's four centres of this mythical life energy that monks could supposedly control or harness. Honestly - when I think of the force I feel like it mirrors the myth of fengshui very closely. 
> 
> The force is a life energy in canon, it surrounds you every single day no matter where you go, and any ancient Jedi temples in canon always seem to have water or large stones in the temple as a primary feature and I can't help but think that there's a connection between the principles of fengshui and the Jedi force. Perhaps the reason for the water is not just decorative- but rather spiritual? The water being present provides a strong connection to the force, perhaps?
> 
> IDK it's just the whole Jedi stoic life energy connecting spiritualism reminds me heavily of the fengshui masters and principles I grew up seeing so that's my interpretation of the force hahhahha  
> (I'm not taoist and idk if I believe in fengshui but mostly bc I have a superstitious streak but it's cool to understand )
> 
> either way- tl;dr: the Jedi culture here is inspired by taoist Fengshui and will continue to be. Hope you enjoyed ! Excited to hear what you guys thought !


	3. cantina band

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> song for this: Faded by Alan Walker
> 
> whole 'communal feast' thing was inspired by What The Stars Let In by ShyOwl !
> 
> also: I decided for my own sake and sanity- instead of having to translate mando'a meticulously line by line to just have bolded dialogue mean they're speaking in mando'a considering both Din and Luke understand mando'a
> 
> NOTE: I'm going to come back and EDIT THIS when I'm less frazzled ! cheers y'all hope this chapter isn't too sucky- it won't let me take it back and stick it as a draft DFDS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did y'all know Jediism is an actual recognised religion or not because I did not holy shit that's so cool
> 
> also welcome all those who migrated here from my other fic !
> 
> I am also insanely close to actually strangling whoever manages the Her Universe website because WHY WOULDN'T YOU WRITE THAT THERE'S INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ISSUES W A PRODUCT ON THE FUCKING PRODUCT WHAT THE FUCK 
> 
> smh- Americans be out here thinking they're the only people on this planet fr fr, I'm sick of this anti-American tax or whatever for anyone who wants merch

When Din returned, Luke was in the bathroom, splashing water on his face. Din walked past him to get to his closet- which was russet toned like the walls of the room- and looked for something to change into under his armour. He'd gotten sweaty from helping mop up the training grounds, and it looked like he only had fifteen minutes until he had drag his new foundling to the mess hall. 

At this point, Din wasn't very aware of the blonde boy who was bumbling around his room like a lost sheep. Although it was probably an unwise move considering how little he knew of Luke, he shed his arm and chest armour as he rushed to the bathroom so that he could at least change his shirt in the short amount of time he had between now and the train to the communal feast in town. 

Din sighed, rubbing his face after pulling the sweaty shirt over his head, already fretting over how Luke will be judged by the others at the feast tonight. Luke would have to join the Death Watch circle with Din- all foundlings had to join their founder when they went to the feast- but that didn't bode well by way of protecting Luke from the Mandalorian horde. But Din put the worry out of his mind as he pulled the fresh shirt on. Din took the opportunity to wash his face in addition to towelling his hair down too. Din would probably need to shower when they returned, but that was a thought for later. 

_At least his face felt clean._ Din thought to himself. 

He took a deep and steadying breath, and opened the bathroom door. 

Luke- bless him, had taken the liberty to pick up the pauldron, shoulder and arm armour that had fallen onto the ground in his haste to get to the bathroom. If Din was quite honest; he felt a little ashamed at himself for making a mess in his rush. He really hadn't meant to make a mess while Luke was around, and it definitely gave the wrong impression about how he treated others. 

"Sorry about that," Din apologised, once again feeling sheepish. "I usually do that so I can pick it up later- you didn't have to. I guess... I don't know, I forgot you were here for a moment." 

Luke chucked. "I figured by how your room was messy that 'later' might be a relative term for you." 

Din laughed self-deprecatingly- but he couldn't see a lie there. Luke was correct in that assumption.

"I'll try not to make a habit of it." Din promised by way of closing off his apology. "I just needed to be quick." 

Luke just smiled at him. "If you say so." He teased. 

Din had to stop himself from snorting a laugh, so he checked the digital clock on his shelf. They had ten minutes to get to the mess hall. 

* * *

"C'mon," Djarin invited, looking back at Luke. "We've got to get to dinner. We can't be late- it's the communal feast tonight." 

Luke raised an eyebrow. "The what?" 

Djarin glanced at him as he led him out of the room, surprised. "The weekly communal feast. Your people don't have that?"

"Uh, no." 

Djarin finally snorted that laugh he had repressed earlier.

"So uncivilised." Din muttered under his breath, jest in his tone. He knew Luke would humour the banter- he had earlier, at least. 

Luke gave him an affronted look, playfully incredulous at the accusation. 

"I'll have you know our Festival of Light and Freedom Day are absolutely _beautiful_." Luke harrumphed. Luke decided not to mention the Kyber crystal gathering and lightsaber building ceremony, nor the Padawan knighting ritual where your master assisted you with your Padawan braid. They were also important and central Jedi ceremonies Luke had celebrated on his path to Jedi Padawan. _Probably best for his safety that Djarin didn't find out about those. _

"I'm sure they are." Djarin acquiesced, voice warm and understanding. "Just they're probably not as comforting as the communal feast every Benduday."

" _Oh_ _yeah_? Those festivals are some of my happiest memories." Luke challenged. 

Djarin laughed. "Well I hope you enjoy the communal feast, then." 

Luke warmed at that. He had to stop himself from replying with 'Then I'll enjoy it because you want me to.' 

_What was he doing? This is someone who would kill you if he knew who you were._ He chastened. 

They fell into a comfortable silence as Djarin led them to a pair of double doors that automatically opened for them to reveal a crowded mess hall. Luke was confused. When Djarin had said ' _feast_ ' he had definitely _not_ thought of mess hall food. 

But instead of sitting a table, Djarin led him to join the crowd and checked the time on the clock on the wall. 

' _We're going into town to join the feast. It's... village-wide._ ' Djarin told him, switching to Tusken. From Djarin's pause, Luke gathered he meant 'city' instead of village.

' _Why-_ '

Djarin's aura brightened- Luke could swear Djarin was laughing at him but he couldn't quite tell under the helmet. 

' _Some would prefer that I not have..._ ' Djarin grimaced. ' _A found one_.'

Luke nodded slowly, somewhat understanding. _Why would Djarin have people against him having a foundling?_ Luke couldn't help but find it odd. 

_'Also people are nosy.'_ Djarin added, grimacing, his aura flickering with laughter as he grumbled.

Luke laughed. People could definitely be nosy. He'd had his fair share of people's nosiness with the fame that came from being Padmé (Ex-Amidala) Naberrie's son. 

The group moved forward, and Djarin helped herd Luke along to follow the crowd. Djarin then lead Luke into the hovertrain that stood waiting for the gathered army- everyone packed closely together into the overpopulated train cars- especially with all the armour- was admittedly a little claustrophobic. But Luke was excited despite himself, despite the fact he felt the crushing weight of being so close to a pack of Jedi-killers- he got to see more of Mandalore. Something that not many Jedi after the war had started had seen. 

_If everything went right, then Luke might even get to see as much of Mandalore as Uncle Obi Wan._ Luke grinned privately to himself at that, feeling smug.

Djarin gave him a questioning look from his space right next to him. Luke ignored it and let his hand go instinctively fly to the necklace under his shirt, habitually rubbing it in thought. He didn't dare take it out from underneath the layer of fabric- not here, in front of all these Mandalorians- but it was a comforting reminder he wasn't alone. Luke looked at the transparisteel in wonder as he got to see the city buzz and brighten as it sped past the train windows. He almost pressed to the transparisteel to watch the sights come and go, astounded by how the city of Mandalore shone bright like a diamond in the rough. Whenever Luke thought of Mandalore, it was only of the military base and the dessert that he'd grown used to on the outside. Never of the city metropolis. 

* * *

When they got to the city, they stepped off at a station. Luke kept close to Din to avoid being lost, and Din was happy to walk with him in tow if it meant one less problem. 

Din wouldn't admit it, but he also really enjoyed the look of pure wonder and bliss on the boy's face as he watched the city. There was a certain beautiful innocence to it that was endearing, Din conceded to himself as he saw the sparkle in Luke's blue eyes. Din hardly knew the guy, but he found it charming that he'd been able to show this clearly unique and special person part of the planet Din was so proud of.

"C'mon." Din beckoned, after having to wait for him when Luke paused for the fifth time in a row- too overwhelmed by the sights of the city. Luke seemed to be drinking everything in desperately, and Din chuckled.

"We'll see it again later." He comforted gently, holding out his arm in order to be able to drag Luke with him to the feast at a quicker pace than he was going at now. Luke took his offered arm, and Din felt strangely warm again. He pushed the feeling away, using the leverage he had with Luke's hand to get them to catch up with the group. Luke let go of his arm. 

"The city is beautiful." Luke finally said after having spent the trip from the train in silence. Din grinned to himself under the helmet, feeling proud. 

"Thank you." Din offered, looking Luke in the eye under his visor. "It is."

* * *

The city wasn't just beautiful. It was stunning. 

Sure, Corosaunt was a beautiful city. It was the epicentre of the Republic, of trade and luxury living. The force auras of its people sparkled with an array of diversity and sensuality. It was this way despite it's dark and dirty underbelly. 

Naboo was beautiful as well, but in a different way- it was gilded hallways and ornate tradition. It was grace, nature and peace. The force auras of the people of Naboo felt like taking a sip of fresh water from a cool river- clean, cool and blessed. Attuned with nature in a fluid way. 

But Mandalore... _Mandalore_ was the perfect blend of the good things about those two planets. A bustling high tech city that prided itself on it's luxury and sensuality, but at the same time gilded and graceful. There was something that felt close to the earth- the soil- of the planet that was just _so_ in tune with nature in a different way than Naboo was. If Naboo was a force connection with water, then Mandalore was a force connection with the toil of the earth. There was a dazzling sense of humility and centred-ness at the core of the force on this planet, and it was only made stronger by being closer to the city. 

Sure, Mandalore was a somewhat martial planet. The whole atmosphere was ' _we got here with blood, sweat and tears of both our work and our fighting._' 

But that atmosphere married with the grounded-ness of the architecture; of the people and their faith in their traditions made Luke felt tethered and _known_ \- not just in the force, but as if a safety rope had been attached to his spine that had been secured to the earth itself. It felt like a promise of protection and hospitality. 

_No wonder the Mandalorians were so fiercely proud of themselves and their planet._ Luke thought to himself in awe. 

Djarin huffed, and Luke felt a strong arm on his bicep as he felt himself be dragged forward once again.

"Gods, you're bulky." Djarin grumbled, pulling at him (with little progress) for a moment more before it seemed that Luke seemed to get the message to _get a kriffing move on._

Luke glared at him, slightly irritated, but said nothing- seeming content to just bask in the atmosphere of the city. Djarin lost his hostage of Luke's arm, as Luke shrugged Din's hand away. 

"So... is this the first major city you've been to?" Djarin asked politely, slowing his pace to walk with Luke in tandem. The group was a little ahead, and Djarin had seemingly given up on trying to get them to keep up with the group. 

Luke fumbled for something to say other than _N_ _o? I've been to Corosaunt. Also what kind of person do you take me for? A savage? Naboo has farricking cities too, bitch._

"Not really. Naboo has cities, but none of them this tall and overwhelming." Luke replied with a half-lie. 

Djarin nodded appreciatively. "I went once, with my blood parents. I was very young at the time, though."

Luke raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah?"

Djarin didn't elaborate. _His parents were a sensitive subject, then._

"Naboo is beautiful. It seemed very... natural." Djarin offered instead, and Luke was fine with the change in subject. 

"And Mandalore isn't?" Luke teased, laughing. Djarin seemed to glare at him playfully under his helmet.

* * *

" **C'mon you kriffing stragglers**." Someone from the group grumbled- calling back at them in Mando'a, clearly irritated at their lack of speed. 

" **Coming!** " Djarin called back, quickening his pace to catch up, which Luke had no choice but to follow if he wanted to not get lost. Luke gave him a puzzled look.

' _Need to speed up._ ' Djarin translated, switching to Tusken. Luke rolled his eyes. 

' _Not my fault.'_ Luke signed back, growling to end off the Tusken sentence- a playful twinkle in his eye. 

_'It is.'_ Djarin bantered back, sighing in exasperation. _'Sky- why do I want rid of you already? It's only been a day.'_

Luke had the good sense to seem affronted. ' _I'm not that bad!_ ' 

Djarin gave him a look that said otherwise. Luke marvelled at his level of expressiveness through a helmet of thick beskar. 

' _You're insufferable._ ' 

' _No you are._' Luke countered, ignoring the slightly confused looks they were getting from the Mandalorian army group they had come to the city with as they rejoined the group. 

" **New pet, Djarin?** " One of them scoffed, eyeing Luke up and down. 

" **Wouldn't _you_ like to know.**" Djarin bit back, giving the remark all due deference it deserved. ~~_(In this case: none.)_~~

The person shut up, but didn't stop sizing Luke up either. 

_'Keep an eye on him, would you?'_ Djarin called to Luke in Tusken, pushing his way to the front of the group. 

' _Where are you going?_ ' Luke called out in Tusken back, signing and panicking slightly. He did _not_ want to be left alone with all these Jedi-killers.

Djarin didn't answer him. Luke had to swallow his fear- these people were all studying him now with interest. 

"I feel like I've seen you before, **foreigner**." One of them said thoughtfully- he was ginger and had his helmet off- his eyes were narrowed at Luke.

"Surely you wouldn't forget a face like mine, right?" Luke joked nervously, putting on a winsome smile and hoping the joke landed. 

Some of the Mandalorians laughed good-naturedly, but the ginger just seemed irritated. 

"You're on thin kriffing ice kid." Ginger scoffed, pulling his helmet back on and deciding Luke wasn't worth the effort. Djarin came back and started shouting in Mando'a, arms waving by way of directions. 

" **Two lines, please!** "

" **You don't tell me what to do, _shuk'yc_.**" Someone in the crowd growled, and others shoved him to tell him to shut up. Luke wasn't sure what _shuk'yc_ was, but it didn't sound friendly. 

" **Don't insult the _cabur_ **!" Another shouted back, clearly angry at the person who insulted Djarin. _This was getting interesting_. But Luke was starting to realise that knowing Mando'a theoretically and knowing Mando'a practically were two _very_ different things. 

" **Quiet!** " Djarin yelled, breaking the stand off up by getting between the two armoured Mandalorians. " **If you want to fight about this, fight about it in training, you absolute _besomse_!**"

The tension between the two seemed to rise and then promptly fizzle out. They clearly had more interesting things to care about once the heat of the moment had died. Luke, however, was curious what _cabur_ meant and why these two had such strong feelings about Djarin- from what he was aware of, Djarin was just another Mandalorian warrior to them. 

Then, Djarin beckoned towards Luke. The eyes of the crowd followed the motion, putting Luke on the spot as he tried to remain calm under their combined attention and make his way to Djarin. 

_'Stay with me. Don't show weakness._ ' Djarin instructed in Tusken, completely serious now. Luke nodded and followed him out of the city dome doors. 

Outside of the dome, was the dry and hot dessert Luke was intimately familiar with. If he just squinted and looked towards the horizon, he could see the outline of the Jedi military base. 

_He could break away and make a run for it right now. Save himself the stress of living with Jedi-killers for a while. He could make it if he pulled his saber out._

Luke shook the thought away. He could certainly try- but with half the city here, it would be near impossible and he'd be killed pretty quickly with a slugthrower before he could make it half of the way there. Somehow, the thought of bleeding out with a metal bullet on the sands of Mandalore didn't really appeal to him. 

Besides- he was hungry. He couldn't make it that far without some sort of food, and the food he could smell smelt mouth-watering. 

Also he could use this as an information gathering opportunity- which would be extremely useful. Because the Mandalorians kept their traditions and cultures close to their chests, it had always been near impossible to attempt reconnaissance missions with them- which put the Jedi at a big disadvantage. 

Instead, he decided to force float a note to Leia. The wide open space would help the probability of the message getting to his sister through the force. 

_Leia:_

_I'm healthy and well. Please tell the council and the family that I have gone to the neighbouring village on an emergency medical supply run. I'll explain the details later. What I do know, is that we can't have father going into a rage about the uncertainty of my whereabouts- he's already on thin ice with the council._

_\- Luke_

Luke could sense when the message had gone- the force surrounding him had interacted with the force of the earth briefly before he could sense it slide off into the distance. 

Force notes... were less like writing and constructing words and more like threading and weaving images together into a string. It took practice, and an incredibly strong force bond to achieve- but it was a good thing Luke had been doing this with Leia for years: sometimes almost unconsciously. When he tried to convey 'rage' he had to string an image of an explosion and a feeling of anger to describe the concept. 

Luke knew he wouldn't get a reply for hours. The distance between him and his sister was large, and the force had already been worked hard throughout the day. All he hoped was that the force would be strong enough to deliver the message at all tonight. 

Regardless, he watched the giant bonfire in the centre of the dessert gathering light up in roaring flames as Mandalorians of all types clapped and cheered politely. Children danced and sung in glee, playing under the watchful eye of their parents. Everyone of all backgrounds sat in a dizzying array of groups, chatting and eating, and it seemed generally very informal as different groups intermingled. There were stalls to buy food, but there was one that the military group of warriors were lined up for in particular. 

Djarin signed and growled in Tusken to him quietly to explain the system here. 

' _There's a stall that gives free food from the government to the soldiers. The whole point of the communal feast is to allow the army some free time to connect with the people in the city._ ' 

Luke raised an eyebrow. _That was... very considerate, actually._

' _Very... kind.'_ Luke remarked, an agreeable smile on his lips. It was the right thing to say, because Djarin's aura flushed with pride as if it was his idea to have this weekly gathering in the first place. 

"Hey! I remember him!" 

Luke jumped out of pure shock and turned to find the person who was shouting so loudly.

_They were pointing at him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also holy shit this got more views than I thought it would ! thanks y'all! I finally have time to focus on this! - I've pretty much finished the main plot of my other fic so if you wanna go check that out feel free !
> 
> shuk'yc: useless  
> cabur: guardian/protector (there's no mando'a word for 'heir')  
> besom: no mannered person/ uncultured/ uncouth person (I stuck a -se on it to make it plural; so: unmannered people)


	4. the princess appears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yes I am aware Leia is not a princess in this but sHE IS TO ME (I'm naming the chapters after the Star Wars soundtrack, so) 
> 
> chapter summary: Leia wrangles the family, no one is sure where Luke is, I'm sorry the cliffhanger isn't resolved, Ahsoka gets some action and gets cockblocked 
> 
> Family dinner type thing inspired by NeedleFrost in their fic 'Chaos, Skywalker is Thy Name'
> 
> song for this: Slumber Party by Ashnikko & Princess Nokia, and Rules by Doja Cat

"AHSOKA!!!“ Leia shouted in surprise, jumping when she saw the highly compromising scene of her Master in the middle of making out with one of the senators on the couch in the entryway of their shared room. The pair stared at her in panic and shock, the blue-skinned girl on the couch scrambling to fix her formalwear so it wasn't pulled down to her hips- covering her face with one hand. 

"Forces." Leia cursed, exasperated, stepping back out of the bedroom she'd just entered and waiting for a moment in the hallway to allow Ahsoka a moment to collect herself while Leia tried to banish the visual of her Master getting it on. ~~She was unsuccessful. That was _certainly_ going to scar her for the rest of her life. ~~

"Sorry." Ahsoka shyly said finally coming to the door and nonchalantly leaning out of the room to talk to Leia through a crack in the door. 

Leia pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. This wasn't the first time she'd caught Ahsoka in a situation like this, so she wasn't too sure why she was fazed by it at this point. "Who was it this time?" 

Ahsoka kept silent, seeming a little ashamed, which in itself was an admission. _So it was Senator Chuchi again, then._

The unspoken understanding passed between the two of them in silence, and Ahsoka looked at her with a challenging look- as if to dare her to question or try bring up the fact it was clear Ahsoka was emotionally _attached_ to Senator Riyo Chuchi. Ahsoka knew as well as Leia did that her own father was secretly married to Padmé, and therefore any scolding on that front would clearly be hypocrisy.

Leia remembered the day Ahsoka found out about the marriage vividly, though she had been only young at the time- Ahsoka had yelled at Anakin for being _stupid_ enough to _formalise_ his attachment to Padmé because he could very easily be outed from the council at any mention of it, before her anger had fizzled out after awhile. She had later admitted she was happy for them and fine with it as long as it didn't interfere with Anakin's commitment to the force.

It hadn't done so far, but everyone was careful of that.

Regardless, Ahsoka seemed to have a _thing_ with Riyo, regardless of whether it was a labelled _thing_ or an unspoken _thing_ \- it was getting a little annoying walking in on them in the middle of them getting freaky. 

"Why can't you just go by force-auras, like the rest of us?" Leia finally chastised. Ahsoka slumped a little in response. It was a known fact that if you were a Jedi and in the middle of having sex, you generally try to make sure you're not interrupted by keeping track of the surrounding force-auras. Often, the playboys of the lower ranks would compete to see how much they could focus on using the force while also hooking up with someone. Leia often wondered how that would even work- but if others could do it she was sure Ahsoka could too. 

"I try! I... just get a little...distracted... is all." Ahsoka defended, flushing red a little in embarrassment. 

" _Kriff_ , Ahsoka, just be more careful." Leia requested, concerned, looking Ahsoka in the eye to make sure she got the message. 

Ahsoka nodded, seeming somewhat chastened, and opened the door for her. _I don't know why she's the Jedi Master when I'm the one who seems to be doing all the teaching, _Leia thought to herself as she entered the room again. The entryway with the couch was empty, which meant that Riyo had either left through the window or was in the bathroom gathering her dignity. 

Leia went and flopped on her bed. "Remind me _never_ to sit on that couch again. Like, at least in the next twenty years." she complained, digging out her comm from her pocket. 

"It's not _that_ karking bad, Leia." Ahsoka rolled her eyes 

"Well how would _I_ know?" Leia countered, shrugging and fixing Ahsoka with a pointed stare that deflated whatever retort Ahsoka had coming. 

It was silent for a moment as Leia scrolled through the holonets, laughing at a couple of memes and poignantly ignoring Ahsoka ruffling around their room for the moment. 

"What time's dinner?" Ahsoka asked, crossing the room to her wardrobe. 

Leia responded blandly. "Eight."

"Right." Ahsoka went to go get changed, and Leia wasn't even surprised when she caught a flash of blue in the bathroom. _So Riyo was in the bathroom, then._

Leia wasn't going to stick around and have this be awkward. It was clear Leia was interrupting something and her presence wasn't going to make it stop, either. She collected her change of clothes, towel and body wash from her own sparsely populated wardrobe and made her way to her mother's room. 

_Just perks of having her mother helping in the war_. Leia thought. She gets to use the Senators bathroom (which was slightly bigger than the bathroom she shared with Ahsoka.) 

"Hey mum." Leia greeted, walking past her mother brushing her wet hair. "Where's Ani?"

The twins had learnt to call their father ' _Ani'_ instead of ' _dad_ ' out loud because they didn't want to accidentally reveal their parentage to the Jedi Order. 

Leia's mother stopped, listening to her inquiry. "I think he's with Obi Wan. Why?" 

"No reason." Leia shrugged, looking through her mother's toilette while Padmé tsked at her for doing so. 

"I thought you had your _own_ shampoo?" her mother chided as she watched Leia take her shampoo. 

"I forgot it while trying to give Ahsoka and Riyo some privacy." Leia fibbed, taking her mother's conditioner too. Truth was, she enjoyed the comfort of Padmé's scent. It helped ground her on the battlefield. 

"They're at it again?" Padmé asked inquisitively from her spot at her table, rubbing leave in conditioner in her hair. 

"Yep." Leia sighed, before opening the door to the shared senators bathroom.

"Make sure you give me my stuff back later, you thief!" Padmé called after her fondly. Leia snorted sarcastically in reply. _As if. _

* * *

Leia later found herself at the round table in Obi Wan's room, listening to Ahsoka argue about tactics with Leia's father as Obi Wan looked on with a smirk. Leia's mother sat next to her and she kept trying to get Leia to eat a little more of the creamy cheese and fish pasta Obi Wan had made ~~(it was his specialty)~~ and Leia was happy to indulge. Uncle Ben's pasta was _legendary,_ and certainly better than food from the mess hall. 

Obi Wan's Padawan lineage group (otherwise known as _family_ ) made it a point to have a family dinner once at least every two weeks- it was what kept the group together and on the same page, and it was often a chance to get away from the mess hall food. Sometimes they decided on something that the group would have to work together to cook; sometimes Padmé would enlist Luke and Leia to teach them how to make some dishes from Naboo, sometimes Anakin would drag Luke into the kitchen to help him make Tatooine snacks and appetisers while Obi Wan stirred his famous pasta dishes. The gathering always had a sense of homeliness, coziness and togetherness that had been absent from Luke and Leia's lives since they had left home to join the Jedi Order, and Leia was secretly grateful for it- no matter how much she whined when she was volun-told to help with the cooking. 

Today Anakin had only made half the amount of deep fried gorg and flatbread he usually did, but Leia knew already that it was because of the absence of Luke's helping hand. He had always been great at making the Tatooine variety of flatbread. ~~(Better than Anakin, at least; but that wasn't too hard.)~~

Regardless, they lounged around after dinner- full from Obi Wan's pasta and Padmé's pallie wine. ~~(Leia was sure she'd accidentally ate Luke's portion of pasta too in his absence.)~~ Obi Wan was studying something on his comm which looked suspiciously like a holopic from the Mandalorian battlefield, Ashoka was in the bathroom, and Leia's parents were cuddling on Obi Wan's couch. Leia had her feet up on the dinner table (much to Obi Wan's chagrin) as she filed her nails onto a towel she had put on her stomach to catch the excess. 

"Where's Luke?" Ahsoka asked, seeming vaguely concerned as she made her way back from the bathroom to sit next to Obi Wan. Usually, she'd sit with Plo Koon and reminisce, but Master Plo wasn't here right now- he was caught up in some council business that had passed Obi Wan by. 

Everyone in the room looked at Leia expectantly, and she sighed. _You know, Luke and I aren't actually the same person- right? _

"He said he had rushed to the nearest village for supplies and not to expect him back for three weeks." Leia shrugged, going back to her nails to try not to arouse suspicion. 

"Three weeks? That's a while for a supply run." Anakin commented dryly. 

"You should know as well as anybody that finding plasma coils is an absolute pain in the neck, Ani." Leia teased.

"Oh, fair." Anakin shrugged, leaning back and resting his head on her mother's shoulder. 

The group lapsed into a comfortable silence again, one only broken by the holonewsfeed Padmé was not-quite paying attention to as Leia's father stroked her hair and held her close. Ahsoka was sitting next to Obi Wan, showing him memes every now and again that made him adjust his glasses to see. 

When family dinner finally wrapped up at ten, where they had argued over whose turn it was to sneak off to the village to get ingredients for the next family dinner, Leia found herself standing outside the dorm complex that the nanobots had helped build when they got here. She gazed into the dark of the night and freely appreciated expanse of stars in the night sky. 

_Luke:_

_Glad to hear you're well. I delivered your message. Dad wasn't too bothered when I told him you were chasing up plasma coils and that you'd be back in three weeks. We all know you'll meander back at some point. Where are you actually? Are you safe?_

_If you can't tell me, it's fine. I get it. But please be back in three weeks or we're both **kriffed** , bitch._

_\- Leia_

Leia felt that calling Luke a bitch in a force note made the word loose it's potency because in order to do so one had to picture a female dog, but he knew he'd get the message. 

She released the message into the force with a deep sigh. Leia hoped he'd be back soon- she couldn't imagine the trouble the idiot had gotten himself into _now_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is late ! been busy and tired eep
> 
> hope this helped put the Jedi's side into a little perspective! 
> 
> yes I headcannon Ashoka being popular w/ the ladies, ok ! she's hot! how could she NOT be lmao


	5. cantina band 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> song for this: Cantina Band but from the Star Wars Soundtrack OR Easier by 5SOS
> 
> chapter summary: whoops wrong person, mandos do be sus tho, everyone thinks Luke is Din's new pretty-boy (and they're not wrong), people have mixed emotions about Luke, Luke tries some Mandalorian food 
> 
> once again: bold for Mando'a, italics for thoughts, italics and '' for Tusken, and normal dialogue for Basic
> 
> quick TRIGGER WARNING: wh*re is used here like twice, just to warn y'all

Luke's heart raced in his chest. 

_This is it. This is how I die. Surrounded and crushed by a group of Jedi-killers. Would I be able to get my saber out before I die? Take a few out with me? Or would I just get skewered on ten different spears while the others cheer? I hope the Force remembers I dedicated myself to-_

"Brother!!! How are you doing?" The person who Luke had thought was pointing at him laughed. Luke looked behind him and realised he was pointing to a younger Mandalorian warrior from the army who had just taken his helmet off. 

" **Must you always pretend you've forgotten me every time I come to the feast?** " The person's brother asked exasperatedly. 

" **Of course!! How else would I annoy you?** " 

" **I hate you.** " The brother sighed fondly, shaking his head in irritation.

" **No you don't!** " The person sing-singed teasingly and laughed as the the brother rolled his eyes at it. 

Luke released a relieved breath, and looked back to Djarin. 

Djarin was watching him, his helmet and aura inscrutable. He kept silent, and Luke hoped he hadn't connected the dots. 

' _Hungry?_ ' Djarin finally asked in Tusken. 

Luke laughed. ' _Starving,_ ' He admitted.

Djarin laughed with him, before standing back from the line of warriors. ' _We must wait until everyone has collected their food. However..._ ' 

He turned to look at him, and Luke could _swear_ there was a mischievous twinkle in his force-aura. ' _That doesn't mean we can't get something from one of the stalls._ ' 

Luke raised an eyebrow, intrigued. ' _That would sound like a great idea if I wasn't as broke as a Krayt Dragon's den._ ' 

Djarin's force aura brightened, and Luke once again had a feeling he was trying not to laugh.

' _Cheapskate_.' Djarin goaded, and then continued as if it was a big effort. Luke could tell it wasn't. _'Alright then, dinner's on me._ ' 

* * *

Din doesn't know where the impulse to tease him is coming from. He couldn't shake it off, either. Despite the fact everything in his brain is ringing in alarm- because he hardly knows the guy- he falls easily into a bantering rhythm with Luke. 

It's maddening; not being able to understand why they've been getting on like a house on fire. Din struggles to accept it, ping-ponging back and forth between trying to wave his concern away with 'This is The Way' and paranoid their possible closeness may bite him in the arse later. He's already enjoying seeing Luke smile a little more than he should and he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

The stalls aren't very busy; the majority of the feast crowd having already gone to them to exchange food and alcohol for credits. The crowd was now drinking and being merry into the dry dusk of the Mandalorian desert- it was getting colder, and people were bringing out blankets and _uj'alayi_ to finish off the night. Din has no trouble looking for the stall he wanted in the dimming sunlight and growing firelight. 

_'So... Why do we have to get food last?'_ Luke inquired politely in Tusken beside him. Din was getting more and more used to switching between Tusken, Basic and Mando'a the longer he had to deal with it. 

' _I'm of a higher rank than them._ ' Din found himself explaining to Luke's tilted head as he looked through the menu. ' _It's a sign of respect_.'

Luke ahhed in understanding at the clarification. Din supposed that in the _Jetii_ army they have a different system. For some reason, that information just made Din more curious about it. _How did they show respect to their superiors, then?_

The portly stall owner popped his head out to check the counter for customers before seeing them. He hurried towards them eagerly, sensing the prospect of another sale before recognising Din. 

" **Hey! Chief! Long time no see!** " Odza greeted warmly, looking Luke up and down curiously. "Anything I can get for you today?" 

Din chuckled. **"I'm not leader yet, Odza**." he chided. 

" **But I hope you will get to be!** " Odza smiled, faith in his tone. Din softened at the sincerity of it. It meant a lot that people hoped he'd become and stay _Manda'lor_ , but he dearly hoped that that faith didn't waver when he inevitably decided to end the war with the _Jetii_. 

" **I'll certainly try.** " Din promised, perusing the menu again. "I'll have two shatual sticks and..." 

Din turned to Luke with a question. ' _Caf or tea?_ ' 

Luke looked puzzled, but answered the question. ' _Tea._ ' 

"Spiced caf and Cassius tea, please." 

Odza nodded, looking a little puzzled but not asking any questions, going back into the depths of the stall to get that for them. 

Luke tilted his head at him again in confusion, and Din was starting to get the hang of repressing the foreign feeling of endearment at it. 

' _This is just extra. Snacks, I suppose. It's... customary to celebrate things with roast shatual or uj'alayi. Do you eat meat?'_

Luke nodded, clearly intrigued.

Odza came back with what looked like two skewers of meat and two drink containers. Din thanked him and passed him the credits owed.

Once that was settled, Din led them back to the military line for food, where people were still filing up for dinner. It was clear it would be another thirty minutes before the line trickled to a stop, so Din passed Luke a skewer and the spherical shaped drink container. 

"Thank you." Luke smiled, using Basic because his hands were full.

"No problem." Din replied warmly, watching Luke struggle with the spherical takeaway tea container with barely contained amusement. 

Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, Luke shot him with a filthy look. "I know you find this funny, but could you actually _help_?" 

Din finally showed his amusement by laughing at Luke outright. "Have you never used one of these before?" 

Luke pouted. "I have! It's just..." Luke struggled to defend himself. "This one is different to the ones I'm used to."

"Sure." Din replied disbelievingly, reaching over to point to the button on the top with the hand he was holding the shatual skewer in and pushing the button. The space next to it spiralled open like a rotating eye. Din could smell the familiar floral and mellow scent of Cassius flowers. 

"What's Cassius tea, then?" Luke asked, licking his lips and going in to take a sip. 

Din's mouth felt strangely dry for a moment. He cleared his throat and tried to explain. "It's tea from the florets of the Cassius tree. It's good for your health." 

Luke took a contemplative sip of the tea, seeming to dissect the flavour of it with a serene expression. 

"It's definitely grounding." Luke complimented appreciatively, looking down at the tea. "Good choice."

Din smiled, happy Luke liked something from his culture. 

"What about you ? You got caf, right?" Luke asked interestedly, taking another tentative sip of the tea. 

"Yes. Spiced caf, because it's infinitely better than normal caf. Especially when it's made by the traditional method." Din grinned. "But you wouldn't know because you prefer leaf juice." 

" _Hey_!" Luke protested, affronted but laughing. 

"I'll let you try it later." Din promised, putting his slightly bigger spherical takeaway cup into his bag. 

"You would?" Luke asked, pleasantly surprised. 

"Of course. As your founder, it's my duty to _culture_ you." Din laughed. Luke gave him a foul look by way of reply, but Din couldn't take it too seriously because he could tell Luke's lips were still turned up at the corners. 

* * *

Later, they sat with the circle of the others who were still wearing helmets to eat. 

Or... for Luke to eat, at least? They weren't taking their helmets off at all, and Din had even packed his food into his side bag for later. The group was just talking and laughing in Mando'a, and all Luke could do was pretend not to understand it and consume his food. 

The food they had supplied the military with was a hearty (and spicy) vegetable and meat soup. Luke remembered that Din had asked the cook in Mando'a to 'tone down the spice for the foundling' and he had been nearly affronted at the assumption. But he was glad Din had- the spice was somewhat tolerable now. 

Luke felt a little ashamed at his apparent lack of spice tolerance, but then thought extreme spice may be a cultural difference. He'd been proud of his ability to handle spice before this. 

_'Not too spicy, I hope?_ ' Djarin inquired in Tusken when the conversation with the other helmeted Mandalorians floated away from him. 

' _Yeah, nothing I can't handle._ ' Luke affirmed sheepishly. 

' _Tiingilar tends to be 'blow your head off' spicy for the uninitiated. I asked them to tone the spice down a little for you._ ' Djarin quipped, seeming smug.

' _Rude._ ' Luke snorted, feeling put out. Djarin seemed to be laughing at him again.

' _You'll get used to it._ ' Djarin comforted, gaze drifting to looking out at the dark dessert that surrounded them. ' _Depending on how long you'll stay, of course._ ' 

Luke was surprised he was given a choice. He wasn't sure whether he'd be expected to stay with them forever now that he was a foundling. 

_'I'm in no hurry to get back to the frontlines._ ' Luke offered with a small smile. ' _People don't usually need mechanical assistance mid-battle anyway, they usually just abandon anything not working._ ' 

Djarin laughed. _'Yeah, I guess they do.'_

They lapsed into comfortable silence as Luke continued to eat his _tiingilar_. The small fire the group was sitting in a circle around talking animatedly in Mando'a crackled comfortably. Yet despite the homeliness of the atmosphere, Luke felt a little forlorn. It was Benduday, so he'd be missing family dinner right now.

_I bet Leia's happily eating my portion of Ben's legendary pasta, damn her._

Luke found himself playing with the pendant of Leia's necklace under his shirt again. He couldn't help but feel a little alone despite having Djarin's somewhat comforting presence nearby. 

_'So... Mandalorian culture?'_ Luke tried for conversation. He wanted to be distracted by something. 

Djarin wasn't listening to him. **"Paz'ika, you know you can't do that. It's war crimes- against the creed.** " 

**"Gods, I forgot how saintly you were."** Paz'ika groaned mockingly. 

Djarin bristled. **"I'm not saintly, I just try to be a good person."**

" **Right, and look where that got you- towing along a foundling."**

Djarin reared back, affronted. **"You know that having a foundling is the most sacred duty in our creed, why would you mock that?"**

**"But in the middle of a war? You have to admit that it's inconvenient, Din'ika."**

Djarin scoffed. **"Easy for you to say, you're a coward."**

 **"Oh? Alor's boy has something to say?"** Paz'ika derided.

Djarin growled, but didn't take the bait. He opted for sullen silence. 

_'You ok?'_ Luke asked gently. He'd finished his spicy Mandalorian stew.

Djarin seemed to be shaken out of his thoughts at that. "Huh?" 

_'You ok?'_ Luke tried again.

He took a moment to get his bearings. 

"Yeah." Djarin swallowed. Luke took a risk and patted his arm awkwardly by way of any comforting words. 

"Who's the new foundling, then, Djarin?" Someone called out tauntingly from outside the circle. Everyone turned to look at the intruders. A group of Mandalorians decked in blue and white armour with their helmets under their arms approached.

Djarin sighed. _'This is what I meant when I said people are against me having a foundling.'_

Luke looked between Djarin and the approaching group inquisitively. 

_Interesting. Is this because of Djarin's high rank, or something else? Something wasn't adding up here._

"What's that?" The dude who had called to them from the group of three scoffed upon seeing Djarin ignore him. "Something you have to say to us, then?" 

"No." Djarin replied bluntly, as if he wanted the conversation to end as soon as possible. He didn't seem very intimidated by them, even when the group came close to the circle of helmet-wearers. Luke silently cleaned up his takeaway soup box a little. If these people were spoiling for a fight then he wouldn't want the tea that Djarin had bought for him ruined by getting thrown in the sand. 

The group finally turned their attention to Luke, appraising him like he was a pet they expected to do a trick for them. Luke crossed his arms and tried to look tough in response, eyeing them in return. The red-head rolled her eyes. The trio didn't intimidate him, and never had- he'd fought Mandalorians before and often won. He could certainly do so again. Perhaps without the use of his saber he'd be at a disadvantage, but he still had the force. Regardless, he was more interested in seeing some Mandalorian culture in action.

"He looks like a weak village boy to me. What'd he do for you to declare yourself as his founder? Smile at you and ask _pretty please_?" The red haired woman who appeared to be the trio's leader sneered. Djarin seemed to give her a look, but didn't rise to her bait. Luke followed suit and kept quiet, but he noticed the other helmeted Mandalorians gripping or reaching for their weapons. Including Paz'ika, who had been arguing with Djarin only five minutes earlier. _Perhaps this group was some sort of family, then?_

"I struggle to understand your reason for approaching me, Bo-Katan." Djarin said pleasantly. 

"Just for friendly conversation." Bo-Katan replied politely, contempt oozing from her choice in words. "Who's the foundling?" 

"It's none of your business." Djarin challenged. "You're just here to insult him." 

"Aw." Bo-Katan pouted unsympathetically. "Is his poor pretty boy ego going to be hurt?" 

"There's no reason for you to antagonise Djarin's foundling." Paz'ika interjected calmly and threat in his tone. Despite Luke knowing he could deal with these Mandalorians himself, he was extremely grateful and touched for the backing the group seemed prepared to give him on Djarin's behalf.

"It's not illegal to speak your mind to the Manda'lor." Bo-Katan said a-matter-of-factly. _Manda'lor_???? Luke was confused. He could swear he'd heard that word before, but the meaning of it sat just beyond his reach. 

"I'm not the Manda'lor yet, Bo-Katan." Djarin sighed in frustration. "Regardless, Paz is right. Please stop antagonising my foundling or you'll find yourself at the mercy of my fellow **siblings in creed**." 

"Oh, like I'm scared." Bo-Katan rolled her eyes.

One of the helmeted Mandalorians stepped forward threateningly. "He _said_ , stand down." 

Bo-Katan eyed this Mandalorian warily. _So she was tough until put under pressure, then_. Luke conjectured. 

"Why should I have to listen to a _cultist_?" Bo-Katan retorted. "Look, if Djarin wants to use his temporary position to get himself whores, that's fine by me."

Luke found himself outraged at the assumption, absolutely fuming at the fact that this bitch thought he was anybody's _whore_ of all things. He forced himself to restrain his anger: the helmeted Mandalorian group were already onto the whole _defending his honour_ case, and he didn't know enough about Mandalorian culture to really try to clap back at her for it without putting himself in danger. 

The short and stout Mandalorian didn't back down, but instead pushed forward. "How karking _dare_ you, you bureaucratic bitchy asswipe- !" 

" _Espí_." Djarin cut her off in warning, stepping towards them and grabbing the arm they were using to pull their spear from their back with. The firelight reflected onto Djarin's silver armour as compared to the way it blended into Espí's red armour."She's the general, _remember_?" 

"Farrick, Djarin, I don't give a _kriff_ if she's _Queen of godsdamn Coruscant_! She can kiss my _ass_ for all I care." Espí growled, tugging at the arm Djarin held hostage of. 

"I _understand_ the extent of the insult, but this is my fight to decide. _Not yours._ " Djarin said sternly, gripping their arm and attempting calm them into standing down. 

Somehow, it worked. Luke watched as they huffed and strapped their spear back onto their back, making their way back towards the Mandalorians who had risen from their seats for this debacle. Luke couldn't stop himself from trying to mouth 'Thank you' in their general direction, but he doubted they saw it. 

"You realise that picking a fight with my foundling means picking a fight with _me_ , right?" Djarin glowered at Bo-Katan, who seemed irritated at best. "This is no longer a question of just my foundling's honour but our creed's honour as well." 

Bo-Katan seemed to reel it back a few steps once Djarin made that threat clear. "So he's not your newest flame?" 

Djarin looked confused. "No. Why would he be? I've known him a day."

"I see." Bo-Katan said icily. "I apologise, then." It didn't seem genuine, however. More like she was observing a formality she didn't like. 

The group of helmeted Mandalorians standing at attention shared wary looks before looking to Djarin for confirmation and leadership. They weren't willing to let this go if Djarin wasn't willing to let this go. 

"I'll accept on the condition that if you would like to insult me, insult _me_ , _not_ my foundling." Djarin reasoned. Bo-Katan nodded in agreement, and the helmeted Mandalorians relaxed, slowly ambling back to their seats and keeping their eyes on Bo-Katan as she had a silent stand off with Djarin for a moment before leaving with a huff. 

Luke could hear Bo-Katan's trio talking amongst themselves as they left, and something one of them muttered set him on edge.

 _"Why do I feel like I've seen him before?"_

Kriff. Luke would have to be careful. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: the whole spherical drink container thing is entirely me making it up I do not think it is canon at ALL
> 
> yes the 'hungry?' 'starving' bit was indeed a reference to Johnlock yes I know I am trash
> 
> Alor: chief/leader
> 
> @ Espí I wasn't lying when I said I was inclined to let you at the Mandalorians who are shitting on Din lmao
> 
> Hi y'all, quick thing: not going to be updating for 2 weeks bc I have exams and that is sucky 🤩🤩🤩 but I need to study lmao RIP (Ik I'm in pain too)


	6. breaths of different teachings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: I do not claim to be all knowing in Mandalorian culture. Wookiepedia is my best friend currently in that aspect.
> 
> Chapter summary: AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED (unless... no homo bro), we all call Din a himbo but he’s actually really intelligent when he wants to be, Luke learns more about Mandalorian culture (infodump time), sleepy time !
> 
> song for this: Permanent Vacation by 5SOS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all ! still doing exams and shit lmao so idk what happening update wise  
> I started sobbing yesterday about my mathematics one so we love that~ let’s fix it with this DSFFSD  
> ALSO FUCKING SHIT I FORGOT TO WRITE THE PADAWAN BRAID LUKE HAS INTO THE FIC WHAT THE FUCK WAIT-  
> (I'll go back and add it later OOP SORRY Y'ALL)

When they returned to the military base, night had long since fallen. Luke was a yawning mess and idly speculating whether it would be awkward if he asked about having a shower. At this point, Luke was sandy and sweaty from the confusing day he’d had.

But when they both entered Djarin’s quarters, one thing became glaringly apparent to the both of them now that they were thinking of settling down for the night: _Djarin only had one bed._

 _Shit_. Luke thought, mind shutting down and gearing up for a panic. _Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit-_

“Uhhh-“ Djarin shuffled awkwardly, fidgeted and looked around his room for a solution frantically.

At this point, Luke had to set a reboot on his brain to save them both. Luke was slightly red in the face when he loudly and bluntly declared that he was going to go and have a shower, and turned to go to the bathroom to give Djarin a chance to figure this out.

Luke was in there for a moment before realizing he didn’t have anything to change into or any soap.

“Uhhhh…” Luke expressed his predicament unintelligently.

“Oh fa-“ Djarin said loudly from the room, as if coming to the same realisation. He knocked on the door moments later. Luke readily opened the door considering he hadn’t really done anything yet.

“I’ll go find something you can wear if you would like to change… considering…” Djarin looked awkward to the point of discomfort, but to be completely fair Luke could feel the awkwardness hang in the air between then.

Luke looked down at his grimy tunic and pants. “Yeah, that would be good. Thanks.”

Djarin nodded, still looking uncomfortable. “I don’t know where to find some other soap, so feel free to use the soap I have. Just…” Djarin pushed past Luke to point at one of the four bottles on his bathroom shelf. “Don’t use that one because it’s not soap. The biggest one is body wash and the other two are shampoo and conditioner.”

Luke nodded his understanding and Djarin nodded back, obviously unsure what to say. The two stared at each other for a moment in awkwardness, waiting for one of them to do something about the awkwardness.

Djarin moved first, pedalling backwards. “I’m going to…” he gestured behind him to the door with his thumb. When Luke didn’t say anything, he balled his hands up loosely and left with a “… yeah.”

* * *

Later, when Luke had gotten out of the shower, the room was empty.

This was, of course, save for the clothes folded on the bed and the mattress that had taken up the only floor space that would fit it. Luke had to step over the mattress at the foot of the bed to get to the clothes that were obviously for him, so it was a struggle not to drip water onto the floor mattress.

This was easily avoidable with a little help from the force. ~~This was a fact Djarin didn’t need to know.~~

Luke had to admit that the clothes were pretty basic, but he wasn’t sure what he expected with the fact Djarin hadn’t actually expected anyone over.

When Luke exited the bathroom for the second time after changing into the plain white tunic and loose brown pants, Djarin was back and taking his armour off. Luke sat cross-legged on the mattress on the floor with a satisfied sigh. _Getting rid of all that sand had felt great, regardless of how awkward it had been._

“Sorry about that whole fuss, I honestly forgot about it.” Djarin apologized, sitting gingerly on the bed with a sigh.

Luke chuckled good-naturedly. “Don’t worry about it. I doubt you really wanted some random village boy in your business.”

Djarin shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal and this happened every other day. “ ‘This is the way.’ ” he said dismissively. Luke got the feeling he was quoting something, but couldn’t work out where it was from. There was a blank silence that rung in Luke’s ears, and Luke decided to fill it by asking the question that had been bugging him since dinner.

“So… why didn’t you eat earlier?” Luke asked politely, confused. “Do you… have an eating disorder, or?”

“I don’t… take my helmet off in front of others.” Din admitted, grimacing about the eating disorder remark. 

“Ever?” Luke asked, puzzled.

“Ever.” Din confirmed. “It’s part of my creed. My religion. There are, of course, _exceptions_ , but the main thing is a hard never. It’s religious in wartime.”

Luke felt sick. The Jedi had captured Mandalorians before, as prisoners of war. He had a vivid memory of a disgruntled Mandalorian tied to a chair in one of their holding cells, their helmet off. He hadn’t realized doing so was a violation of extreme proportions. Luke felt horrified at himself and the Jedi council for doing it, now that he realized it was wrong. It had never been the Jedi way to disrespect others religions like that.

Din seemed oblivious to the way Luke’s face paled, going white, as he continued.

“Others don’t follow the same creed; some follow a stricter one, some semi-strict, some not at all. The main thing is to ask them how strict their creed is before suggesting helmet removal.”

The weight of Luke’s relief was dizzying. He still couldn’t help but wonder….

_Had the Jedi ever violated a Mandalorian’s creed? Even knowingly?_

“So… what does creed mean to Mandalorians, then? Seems pretty important.”

Djarin stopped in his tracks then, and Luke thought he had overstepped his boundaries, but Djarin went on to explain himself- looking at Luke intently.

“In Mandalorian martial culture, the warriors usually comprise of people who group together by their creed. These groups can be considered… like family units, but they’re not really family. We consider them more like tribes. But don’t think of them like that; only those who have sworn or agreed to be clan with you can be _family_. But the creeds by which Mandalorian warriors follow are as diverse as the warriors themselves. Sometimes the creeds the warriors follow only have two followers, some have twenty to thirty. They vary by their level of strictness, conservativity, and religiousness, but they all have three main values in common.”

Luke nodded along, drawn in by this new world that was Mandalorian warrior society and culture. For the longest time, he had thought that the Mandalorian horde was a group of mismatched Mandalorian bounty hunters that had coalesced into an army in the interest of Mandalore, united by their hatred of the Jedi. His Jedi comrades weren’t quite sure how the Mandalorian army had formed either, and so hadn’t corrected his assumption. It seemed that he was mistaken in that.

“Those main values consist of but are not limited to; family, valour and victory in battle. These are sometimes associated with the ancient godly pantheon. But that’s in the more extreme traditionalist cases, with gods like **Kad Ha’rangir** and that type of stuff. The majority of Mandalorian warriors, including myself, do not associate the values with gods but rather subscribe to the **Resol’nare**.” 

Luke nodded, somewhat understanding but also not quite understanding.

“What’s the **Resol’nare**?” he inquired, a little distracted by how Din’s hands had stopped moving to demonstrate what he was saying.

“The **Resol’nare** …” Djarin replied thoughtfully, as if trying to figure out how to best explain and describe it as a concept. “It’s a little like the six main parts of being a Mandalorian warrior. A six-step guide of how to be Mandalorian enough to not lose your soul and ascend to **Manda**. It’s a little complicated to explain.”

“I see. That’s… really cool!”

Djarin cocked his head at him, his aura flashing white briefly with surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah! I didn’t know half this stuff before you told me. I’ve just been wandering around and hoping I don’t accidentally insult somebody.” Luke admitted shyly with a self-deprecating smile. 

“Oh. Well, I can tell you more if you like?” Djarin offered hopefully. Luke nodded eagerly like a youngling hoping for another battle story.

“Uhhhhh… well for starters, if someone challenges you to a duel consider carefully whether you’d like to die before accepting it because it is well within their rights once you accept the duel to kill you if they win.” Djarin offered, and Luke choked on air.

“They what-”

“Yeah, so… I’d advise against accepting any duels unless you think you can beat a battle-hardened warrior.” Djarin advised. “So far, your status in the Mandalorian warrior hierarchy is a foundling, so if you have trouble with anyone you can always direct them to me. Most of the time people are understanding once you explain. It’s mostly clear from your lack of armour, though.”

“I don’t need armour to kick someone’s ass.” Luke grumbled to himself, and Djarin started laughing at him from his place on the bed.

“You say that but then you’ll regret it when your hand hurts later, I promise.”

Luke pouted. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“You think your bones can survive **_beskar_**? _Kriffing **beskar**_?” Djarin joked incredulously with a scoff. Luke bit his tongue.

 _Beskar? That was pretty rare._ Luke remarked to himself.

_Wait, wasn’t that the extra-special anti-lightsaber armour he’d heard rumours about? Kriff-_

“Your armour is **beskar**?!”

Djarin looked at him like he thought Luke was kidding. “Uh, yeah? Was it not clear by the silver?”

Luke’s eyes widened of their own accord. “Wow. That stuff is pretty rare.”

That was very suspicious. Djarin might as well have raised a third red flag.

_Why did Din have such high-class armour when he was clearly only a middle to high-ranking commander? Why did everyone treat Din differently to everyone else and single him out despite his mediocre rank? Why-_

“Before you make any barbaric assumptions about who’s corpse I stripped this armour off of, I… uh…” Djarin became sheepish all of a sudden. So, Luke waited patiently instead of saying anything, determined to find out the reason behind it all.

“I’m the heir to the throne.” Djarin finally admitted, a little self-deprecatingly.

Luke couldn’t help the hand that flew to his face in shock. Whatever it was he had been expecting Djarin to admit, royalty was _not it_. “The Alor named me as the future Manda’lor, and so it was only fitting in the eyes of the people that this armour be mine. I… I honestly never minded what armour I wear, and would rather not have the attention, but…”

Luke stared at the floor blankly in shock. “So, you’re the Mandalorian prince, essentially.”

Djarin spluttered in response, before seeming to deflate. “Yeah. Basically. But I don’t know how long for.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Luke asked, intensely intrigued. Din could provide him with an insight into how Mandalorian power worked. But also, a small part of him was concerned about the dejected and resigned tone his Mandalorian saviour had taken on.

Djarin sighed. “It’s intensely complicated. You wouldn’t want to know.”

“I have nothing but time.” Luke flashed him a smile, hoping a little charm would work. So far, Djarin had humoured him if he smiled nicely at him, and he wasn’t one to mess with perfection if it had been working.

Djarin gave him a measured but exasperated look, a little like an adult who was tired of stupid questions but knew they couldn’t leave them unanswered. It was at that moment Luke knew he had won.

“When I ascend to the throne, I have to accept the darksaber. From that point on, people can challenge me by rite of combat for the throne if they so wish. The ceremony on my birthday will mostly consist of the opportunity for Mandalorian citizens and warriors alike to test their mettle and see if not only _they_ are worthy of the throne, but if _I_ am worthy of the throne. Even then, I may end up starting a revolt against me.”

Luke raised an eyebrow in question, but Din didn’t explain further. There was a comfortable silence where Djarin seemed lost in his own thoughts, and Luke let him think for a while.

Djarin’s stomach growled in the silence they shared.

“Would you like to eat? Sorry, I just realized I probably should leave or something to give you space for that. You must be starving.” Luke fretted, jumping up suddenly. “Here I am asking you to teach Mandalorian culture 101 on an empty stomach. For-”

Luke had to stop himself from saying ‘ _forces’_ in front of a Jedi-killer. Djarin chuckled at him good-naturedly, not seeing his near slip-up.

“It’s no big issue, don’t worry. This chat was important too.”

“Is there somewhere I can take a walk to?” Luke asked politely, pulling his boots on in the entryway as Djarin put his takeaway **tiingilar** and **shatual** stick on his desk.

“If you turn right and right again you can hang out on the veranda. It should be empty right now.” Djarin’s force aura smiled as he moved to sit on his desk-chair.

Luke nodded, walking towards the door.

“And, Luke?” Din called out warmly behind him. Luke turned to face him. “You’ll be coming back, right?”

Luke softened. “Of course _, my darling_.” Luke joked with a grin in a Nabooian farmer’s drawl. He was treated to Din’s laughter as the door whooshed shut behind him.

* * *

It was on the veranda Luke received Leia’s message through the force, and he basked in the imprint of the earthy and river-like peace that Leia’s force signature tended to leave with her messages as it washed over him.

_ Three weeks.  _

_He could work with that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again hope you enjoyed ! I do not claim to be an expert in Mandalorian culture.  
> My brain recently has been like: write this intimate and loving scene between them for ur fic  
> Me: but they… they’re still strangers  
> My brain: ok but LOOK AT THEM THEY’RE SO IN LOVE  
> Me: YEAH??? LOOK AT THEM THEY BARELY KNOW EACH OTHER 
> 
> Just a note: if you’re noticing there’s a random switches to ‘Din’ instead of Djarin just know that that is intensely purposeful I promise it’s supposed to signify Luke slowly warming up to him. 
> 
> also Luke going 'shit' bc it just sounded better than kriff 
> 
> Sorry for the infodump!!! It was important for Luke to get his bearings before going any further!!


End file.
